Associated Food Stores and eComSystems Work Together for InnovationGrocery wholesaler and technology firm bring better programs to independent retailers

Salt Lake City, UT (February 6, 2017) With the goal of helping retailers succeed, Associated Food Stores (AFS) and eComSystems have joined together to make print advertising easier for independent grocers. The wholesaler and technology firm partnered in 2013 to create AFS AdStudio, a custom advertising development and production program that allows retailers to quickly and easily build beautiful custom weekly ads. Since then, the companies have worked together to develop industry-leading business solutions for more than 400 independent retailers AFS serves.

“AFS has always looked for ways to better serve our retailers and their customers. It’s one of the key convictions that sets us apart,” said Jason Sokol, AFS’ director of marketing. “Our partnership with eCom has served as a platform for AFS to lead our industry with technology that enhances the shopping experience.”

Over the last few months, AFS and eComSystems have worked on two major projects to enhance the functionality of two of their programs—AdViewer and AFS AdStudio. The mobile version of AdViewer, which allows guests to view retailer’s weekly ad on their mobile device, received an update to make the ads more responsive, quicker and easier to read on a mobile device. The update was driven by retailer feedback and the desire to better serve the growing number of guests in digital spaces.

Today, the companies announced that AFS AdStudio, the program designed to help retailers build and produce weekly print ads, has moved to HTML5. This move will increase program speeds while improving browser compatibility and enhancing features to make creating weekly ads even easier for retailers.

“Our relationship with AFS is the model of what a partnership should be. We’re focused supporting retailers and providing ways to help them grow and thrive, strengthening relationships with their customers while forging opportunities with new ones, all the while making it as easy as possible for them to do business better in their demanding retail environment,” said Jon Evans, president/CEO of eComSystems. “We look forward to continuing our partnership and appreciate the personal and professional interaction with the AFS team and the retailers we serve.”

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About Associated Food StoresAssociated Food Stores is an independent retailer-owned warehouse based in Salt Lake City, Utah, which provides complete warehouse facilities and services to over 400 grocers throughout the Intermountain West. To learn more about Associated Food Stores or to find a retailer near you, visit www.afstores.com.

About eComSystemseComSystems, a technology firm based in Sarasota, Florida, provides proprietary programs that automate the creation and production of advertisements and marketing materials, both in print and electronically, for corporations and retailers by unifying data to make internal systems more efficient and cost effective. eCom’s programs provide proven cost savings, user flexibility and overall efficiencies. For more information about eCom, visit www.eComSystems.com.